Aphelion
by SunripenedChaos
Summary: It's 2017 and a new war is brewing in the Americas. How will the war affect those in Britain? Told through the eyes of Liza Boot.
1. Prologue: Of Fear and Flight

"_Prisa, Jairo!_" a young woman called urgently in Spanish to a small, dark boy of about seven.

"I _am_ hurrying!" he muttered to himself in English. He was determined to improve his grasp on the English language before they got to Britain. He nearly tripped over something in the dark, and winced as his toe throbbed. But there wasn't time to worry about his toe. He hurried to catch up to his mother.

She reached back and grasped his hand and they crept towards the USA-Mexico border. The woman pulled herself up and took a deep breath as if steeling herself for something. She grasped Jairo's hand tightly and they strode forwards.

"Papers?" the guard asked suspiciously. Jairo wondered if he usually saw people on foot in the middle of the night.

Jairo held his breath. The only sounds were the quiet rustling of papers and bugs buzzing around the large fluorescent light above them. The guard inspected his mothers' carefully forged papers. He seemed to find them satisfactory and waved them through.

"Enjoy the United States," he said, sounding bored.

Jairo and his mother waited until they were out of sight around the corner before breaking into a run. They were free at last.


	2. Of Wands and Witches

"It's not fair, Mum, why does _she _get to do magic? She hasn't even been to school yet!" complained thirteen-year old Liam Boot. Liam was entering his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was once again bemoaning the fact that under-aged witches and wizards could not do magic over the summer holidays.

Liam's eleven-year old sister, Liza, stuck her tongue out at her older brother, while prodding a biscuit with a wand, trying to make it fly in a wholly unsuccessful attempt. She studied her sister's old spell book, _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade One_, and mouthed the incantation that it said would make objects fly.

Daphne Boot, their mother, flicked her wand with ease at the grocery bags sitting on the kitchen counter, and all of the new purchases flew onto the shelves where they belonged before Daphne turned to her children. "Liam, your sister gets to do magic because she has not yet been to Hogwarts, and the Trace hasn't yet been put on her –" Liam crossed her arms and frowned, "– and Liza, dear? It's a flick rather than a prod."

The corners of Liza's mouth curved into a smile as her mother confirmed what her spell book had just told her. She flicked at the end of a long swish while saying clearly, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" and the biscuit hovered feebly for a moment an inch above the table top, before dropping back onto the highly polished wood.

"Oh, Mum! Look! She did it!" Liam said excitedly, momentarily forgetting his resentment towards his sister in favour of the pride he felt that his younger sister finally performed some real magic. Liza flushed with pleasure and then handed the wand to her brother.

"Thanks for letting me borrow your wand," she said with a devilish grin on her heart shaped face.

Liam flushed with fury, snatching the wand out of his sister's hand exclaiming, "I never said you could use my wand!" He turned on his heel and marched out of the room and down the hallway.

Daphne and Liza heard his bedroom door slam a moment later. Daphne rounded on her daughter, "Don't use other peoples' wands without their express permission. It's extremely rude, and frankly quite dangerous! I thought he let you use that wand!"

"Sorry, Mum," Liza said quietly.

"Now, when your father gets home, we can take a trip out to Diagon Alley. It's getting late to be picking this stuff up; I know… school starts next week. But your dad wanted to do this all together as a family. It's a big deal you know, getting your first wand."

Liza didn't need to be told it was a big deal. She was excited. She had been waiting for this day since she was nine, and went to Diagon Alley with her family, and watched Liam try wand after wand after wand in Ollivander's shop.

"Now, go keep yourself occupied for a bit. Your dad should be home any minute now," Daphne said, shooing Liza from the kitchen. Daphne pulled her sheet of shiny black hair onto a loose ponytail at the base of her neck before proceeding to tidy the kitchen. Daphne was a graceful beauty; full, red lips blossoming against a flawless, snow-white complexion. Pale grey eyes tempted from beneath thick lashes, and everyone teased her that this was why her husband married her.

Terry Boot had curly brown hair and dark brown eyes, and was of the muscular build generally found in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; he was a Patrolwizard with the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. He had met his wife at Hogwarts, though they weren't in the same House, and they had married at the age of twenty-one. A year later, they moved into the house Terry grew up in when his parents decided that a peaceful, ocean-side cottage was more suited to their retirement than an elegant two story house on the outskirts of London.

At the age of twenty-three, they welcomed the arrival of their first child, Liam. A feisty, dark haired little boy with a devilish glint in his chocolate brown eyes, Liam had been a handful from the moment he learned to walk. His greatest pleasure was taunting his sister Liza, who was born when he was two.

Liza and Liam were as opposite as they came. Liza was tall and slender whereas her brother was shorter and rather thickset (he insisted it was muscle). Her black hair hung in loose spirals that trailed down past her shoulder blades, but Liam's hair was a lighter brown, short and straight.

Liam was outgoing and friendly; both intelligent and athletic – a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team – and made friends quickly and easily. Liza was a bit softer spoken, but a far cry from being considered 'shy'. She was intelligent like her brother, and thoroughly enjoyed the logic puzzles in the back of the _Daily Prophet_. Growing up in a Muggle neighbourhood, the opportunities to make friends were limited (it was difficult for youngsters to keep their secrets), so Liza only had one friend: Albus Potter, the youngest son of Ginny and Harry Potter.

Harry and Daphne had been acquaintances during school, but had not become friends until after the fall of Voldemort when Harry and Terry had started working in the same department at the Ministry of Magic. Albus and Liza had become forced friends when Daphne agreed to babysit Albus and his siblings when Ginny and Harry had to work. Similar in personality, Albus and Liza got along quite well.

Liza lay flat on her back on her bed, taking in her bedroom that starting next week, she would not see for several long months. Her walls were a pale lilac, and the curtains on the windows and the linens on her single bed matched. Her furniture was a pristine white. That was where the perfect order that Daphne prized so much in her home ended. Liza's walls were a hodgepodge of posters and photos. Her family waved at her in black and white from next to a poster of the Puddlemere United Quidditch team, in their robes of navy blue.

She heard her father's voice float down the hall. It was time to buy her very own wand! She raced into the kitchen, slamming her door against the wall and causing her mother to wince. She threw her arms around her father, "Hi Dad! Can we go to Diagon Alley now? Pleeeeeeease?"

At the mention of Diagon Alley, Liam made an appearance in the doorway. He strode over to the fireplace, grasping the ceramic urn that held their Floo powder. He opened the lid, and Daphne dipped her hand into it, pulling out a handful of the powdery green substance, and tossing it into the pleasantly crackling fire that was highly unnecessary in the summer heat.

Terry barely had time to put down his workbag. "I guess we're off then," he said as he removed his Muggle suit jacket and pulled on his travelling cloak. He pecked his wife on the cheek before shooing her towards the emerald fire.

"Diagon Alley!" she called, before spinning off into oblivion. Liam followed suit, then Liza. She fell out of the grate, colliding with Liam – much to her brother's distaste – and stood up to take in Diagon Alley.

The famously bustling Diagon Alley was filled with interesting shops and interesting people. They set off once Terry stepped out of the gate, heading towards Gringotts Bank.

Once the elder Boots had filled their pockets with money (and given their children a few Sickles to spend on their whims), they headed off towards Ollivander's. The old Mr. Ollivander no longer solely ran the shop. He had picked up an apprentice several years ago by the name of Andrew Kirke.

"Welcome," he said with a smile as they stepped into the musty shop. "Good to see you, Terry. How's everything at the Ministry?"

"It's going quite well, all things considering. We had someone trying to enchant a telephone booth this morning, but that was minor. No harm done," Terry smiled warmly at an old Hogwarts schoolmate, even though they had never known each other very well.

"Excellent, excellent," he said, turning towards Liza, who flushed under his gaze. "What can we do for you today, young lady?" he asked.

"I'm – I'm here to get a wand," she said, finding her voice stronger than she'd thought it would be.

Andrew clapped his hands together in excitement, "Well then, we'd better get your measurements!" He whipped out a tape measure and left it to measure and record all of Liza's measurements while he ran around the shop, pulling wands off of the shelf.

Liza had waved only two wands, when she picked up a third, deciding to have another attempt at making objects fly. She pointed at the empty box she had just removed her wand from, and said quickly, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

Much to her surprise, the box soared into the air and hovered feet above their heads. Liza flushed, and set it down softly on the stack of wands beside her. Mr. Kirke looked shocked.

"Well, well, well! It certainly looks as though we've found you a wand!" he said happily. "That certainly didn't take very long," he glanced at the wand. "It's made of rowan; quite sturdy… ten inches long, with a phoenix feather core. Good wand, this one, Ollivander made it himself. Seems to like you a lot," he rambled, shutting the lid of the box with Liza's wand safely inside.

They left the shop, Liza happily clutching her new wand, and headed down to Flourish and Blotts bookshop. Her parents had agreed that they would buy her a new set of books that would be completely her own, so she was free to write whatever she needed to in them. Liam still often referred to his spell books from first year, and wasn't very keen on letting his younger sister have them. They selected the complete set of books she would need, as well as the new books Liam required for his new courses: Arithmancy and Muggle Studies.

Daphne had scoffed at first at Liam's choice of Muggle Studies. She was a pure-blood witch that married into a pure-blood family, and was very proud of her lineage. Friends were convinced that Terry kept her grounded, and everyone had been surprised when the levelheaded Ravenclaw had taken a fancy to the Slytherin beauty.

They stopped at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for sundaes, and Liza set her wand in the centre of the table, opening the lid so she could look at it. She couldn't wait to try out the spells in her new books. She worried that perhaps she wouldn't be able to do everything the other students could. Maybe they would laugh at her. She tried reassuring herself that she could already make objects levitate, but she still felt slightly nauseous. She bit her lip and tried not to think about it.

Their next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. She stood on a stool, the black Hogwarts robes that would soon be hers being pinned and fitted just right for her slim build. Liam yawned openly, wanting nothing more than to go wander the alley. "Be patient," Terry whispered, "she was patient for you two years ago."

After a quick stop at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes for Liam, it was time to go home. On their way back to the grate they had come out of, Liza noticed a young blonde woman sitting beside a box, with a sign that said "For Sale: Four Sickles" pasted on the front. Liza grabbed her father's hand and dragged him over to peer in the box. Six gamboling kittens were falling all over each other in the bottom of the box.

The woman popped her gum, "Four sickles if you want one. They're good at finding things you've lost."

"Oh, Dad, can I have one, please?" Liza tugged on his sleeve.

Terry shrugged, "You'll be taking it to Hogwarts with you, and you have enough money. I don't see why not."

Liza let out a squeal of delight. She reached into her pocket and grasped the four Sickles her parents had given her at the start of the day and handed them to the woman. She bent down into the box to select a kitten.

After watching them for a moment, she pulled a black one from the litter.

"Thank you," she said to the woman, cradling the kitten in her arms as they walked away.


	3. Of Sweets and Sorting

"Mum! I can't find Felix! Have you seen him?" Liza Boot cried tearfully down the stairs. The Boot family was due to leave for King's Cross station any moment now to put Liza and Liam on the train to Hogwarts, and Liza couldn't find her kitten.

"He was in the garden chasing gnomes this morning," Daphne called. She was cut off by a loud thump as Liam and his father dropped a heavy trunk on the ground by the front door. A brown owl hooted softly and ruffled it's feathers in an annoyed sort of fashion from its cage on top of a similar trunk nearby.

Liza thundered down the stairs clutching an empty carrying basket, desperately calling out for Felix. Suddenly, a black streak shot in front of her and she went sprawling, carrying basket flying into the air. Clambering quickly to her feet as though that sort of thing happened all the time – which it did – she went tearing through the house after the cat.

"Gotcha!" she cried several minutes later as she grasped the kitten firmly around his middle. He purred loudly and Liza laughed, her earlier anguish forgotten. Gently guiding Felix into the carrying basket caught by her mother's deft wand-work, Liza began to feel the excitement that had been building ever since she had received her Hogwarts letter six weeks ago.

"Let's go!" Liam said impatiently. Over the past two years, he had thoroughly enjoyed taunting Liza with wonderful tales from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Some of them, like the ever-changing staircases, were simply too fantastic to be true, but Liza couldn't wait to go to classes in tall towers and sleep in beautifully curtained beds.

"Help your father load the car," their mother said with a sigh, and Liza quickly picked up the carrying basket and her brother's owl cage. Terry was a Muggleborn, and insisted on doing some things in an entirely Muggle fashion, which was occasionally a source of friction between he and Daphne.

Liza bounced in her seat the entire way to the train station. "I hope you're not in Slytherin," Liam muttered darkly, clearly annoyed by her immature display of excitement, "that way, people might not know we're related."

They made their way onto the platform, Liza running full tilt towards the barrier, squeezing her eyes shut. She came out the other side, and her cart bumped into a haughty dark boy who was standing with her cousin, Scorpius Malfoy. "S-sorry," she mumbled as he looked scornfully down his nose at her.

She hurried to get away from him, and met up with Liam and her father who had gone through the barrier first.

"Well you should probably get on the train now," Daphne said as she caught up to them, looking a lot less sure of herself. It was a huge thing, letting your youngest child go away to school. Terry put his arm around his wife and gave her a brief squeeze before offering to help his children with their trunks.

"You'll sit with her on the train ride down, won't you Liam?" he said in a way that was more of an order than a question. It was all Liza could do to keep from sighing in relief. She was afraid she would have to sit by herself for the entire train ride.

Liam rolled her eyes, and plopped down across from his sister in an empty compartment.

"Thank you, kiddo," her dad reached out to ruffle her hair. She ducked out of his reach, smoothing down the twin braids that kept her hair neatly under control.

"Bye, dad," she said through gritted teeth. She was blushing pink, hoping none of her friends had seen her.

Terry shook his head, and bent down to hug Liza, "I'll see you at Christmas, girlie. Have fun! Behave yourself! I expect an owl sometime tomorrow telling me about your classes and what house you're in," he lowered his voice, "You know it doesn't matter what house you're in. I'll love you just the same."

Liza nodded and watched him leave the compartment, clambering off the train. She pressed her face to the window, watching her mother wave from the platform. She blew her a kiss, and Daphne blew a kiss back, desperately trying to hide the tears in her eyes. She rested her head on Terry's shoulder as he put his arm around her again. As the train began to chug away from the platform, Liza didn't dare blink. She was scared she would miss the final view of her parents until Christmas.

"I'll miss them, Liam," she sighed, turning back to her brother. She realized she was talking to an empty compartment. Tears filled her eyes as she realized that her brother had taken off the moment her father had left the train. Liza pulled Felix out of his basket and cuddled him for a moment, thankful for a friend in the midst of the new surroundings. She hastily wiped her tears away, remembering she was supposed to be a big girl now. Big girls don't cry.

As soon as she had dried her eyes, there was a knock on the compartment door. Shadows moved behind the tinted glass, and she reached over to unlatch the door. Any fear she had instantly dissipated when the door flung open to reveal Albus and a pretty young girl in Hogwarts robes with brilliant red hair following behind him.

"Albus!" she exclaimed, jumping up to hug him. She had never been happier to see her friend. Felix tried to escape the compartment, but the red headed girl scooped him up, stroking his soft fur. Albus laughed good-naturedly at the warm welcome and patted Liza awkwardly on her back. He was still very unsure of how to treat girls.

The red head handed Felix back to Liza and suddenly became very shy. "I'm Rose," she said softly.

"Liza Boot," Liza replied, finding her voice.

"Rose is my cousin, Liza. Her last name is Weasley, just like my mum's used to be," Albus said conversationally as he and Rose sat down opposite Liza.

Liza nodded, unsure of what to say next. Fortunately, she was spared the task of coming up with something to say when a tall, skinny blonde boy burst into the compartment, falling onto Liza's lap. Felix gave an agitated meow and leapt away from the newcomer.

"Sorry," the boy said, red faced and clearly flustered as he pushed himself upright, shoving his square glasses higher up onto his nose. He plopped himself down next to Liza.

"I was being chased by some awfully big guys. They said I was in _their_ compartment. As if I was supposed to know that. There's not a lot I do know, unfortunately. I only just found out I was a wizard last week! I can't wait to learn everything though. It's so _fascinating_, being able to make magic with a wand" he said this rather quickly, as if concerned that he had to say everything before someone told him to stop talking. "Oh, I'm Kevin, by the way. Kevin Lewis."

The three already in the compartment just stared. He spoke with a funny accent that Liza had never heard before. She furrowed her brow, before surprising herself with her own courage as she said bluntly, "I'm Liza Boot. Where is your accent from?"

Kevin's face split into a huge grin, "I lived in Vancouver! That's in Canada," he pointed out happily.

"Oh, cool!" Liza said, intrigued now by this excitable boy from a foreign land.

"That is cool. I'm Albus," Albus introduced himself, deliberately omitting his last name.

He had become aware at a very young age that the name 'Potter' was a famous one that usually caused people to stare.

Kevin wrinkled his nose, "That's a funny name. It sort of reminds me of a bird, you know? The albatross is a really big bird. My mum has a picture of one that she took when she was in Bermuda! That's where the Bermuda Triangle is –"

Thankfully, Kevin was interrupted by the arrival of the food trolley. A grizzly haired witch tottered along behind it. "Do you want anything off the trolley?" she asked in a scratchy voice.

"Yes, please," Rose said enthusiastically. She got quite the armload, and Albus made a joke about how all she ever did was eat. "I've been saving my money for this," she explained after she stuck her tongue out at her cousin. "Dad always talked about how good the sweets were on the Hogwarts Express, and Mum hardly _ever _lets us have them at home."

"What about when you go visit your grandparents?" Kevin asked curiously as he examined a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean.

"Well, my mum's parents are dentists, and their idea of sweets is yogurt covered raisins," she said, clearly disgusted.

"I like raisins," Liza said as she pulled the wrapper off of a Pumpkin Pasty.

Rose gave her a dark look, "Teddy says they're _flies_."

"Who's Teddy?" Kevin asked.

"My god-brother," Albus said after he recovered from a beetle-flavoured bean.

They ate the different sweets contentedly, occasionally laughing at each other's faces after a particularly unpleasant flavour of bean. They lounged in the compartment, and were enjoying themselves so much that they didn't even realize it had begun to get dark.

"So why did you and your mum move to London?" Albus finally asked Kevin as the sky outside darkened to black.

"My mum grew up in Britain," he explained. "My dad left last year, and she wanted to come back home to live near her parents and siblings again. It's been alright," he said putting on a smile, but there was a touch of sadness in the young boy's voice.

Suddenly the train slowed, putting a halt to their conversation. Liza grabbed her robes and shooed the boys from the compartment so that she could change. Suddenly, she was uncomfortable in front of Rose, and turned around as she changed.

A moment later, the boys re-entered the compartment, dressed in their black robes. Kevin looked awkward in them, clearly not yet comfortable in wizard's robes. "I feel like I'm wearing a dress," he commented as the compartments began to spill into the corridors.

The haughty dark boy Liza had bumped into on the platform ran into her from behind. She turned to see who it was, and as their eyes met, his face softened.

"Sorry," he mumbled, the tone of superiority gone from his voice.

"It's ok," she smiled warmly at him, hoping he understood that she was also forgiving him for his behaviour on the platform. He smiled hesitantly back at her.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" a booming voice called over the crowd.

"Hagrid!" Rose and Albus exclaimed, hurrying over to the source of the voice. Liza looked up in shock. The man waving the lantern was huge in stature, and had grizzled grey hair and a tangled beard to match that obscured most of his ruddy face.

Kevin looked positively frightened, "Is that a _giant_?"

Liza shrugged, also unsure, "I don't think so. Liam said giants are as big as mountains."

"We're going in boats?" Kevin asked skeptically. The tiny wooden boats didn't look like they could hold the weight of one person, let alone the four that the man apparently called Hagrid said they should fit into each boat.

"I guess," Liza shrugged. She tried to follow Albus, but he and Rose had already been joined in their boat by two other first years. Kevin and Liza clambered into their own boat and were joined by the dark boy and a round, curly haired girl that seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

"Hi again," the boy said, "We weren't properly introduced before… I'm Jairo Veta," he said, and Liza noticed he had a faint accent that she couldn't place, but it wasn't nearly as strong as Kevin's.

"Liza Boot. This is Kevin Lewis," she said gesturing to him.

"Nice to meet you," he said awkwardly. They were spared conversation as the boats rose and flew across the dark lake. They came over a small hill, and caught their first glimpse of Hogwarts.

It was a magnificent castle, with the light in windows glittering like jewels in the dark night. People gasped as they took in the majestic view.

The boats came to a halt that almost threw the four overboard, and they clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles of the underground cave. "Where are we?" people were whispering. They followed Hagrid single file out of the cave and onto the lush green grass and onto the stone steps that lead to a gigantic pair of double doors. Hagrid knocked, and a young man with a round face who looked vaguely familiar ushered them inside.

"Neville!" exclaimed Albus as he tiptoed to see.

Neville grinned, "Professor Longbottom, Albus."

"Oh right, sorry Professor Longbottom," Albus flushed as he sank back into the crowd. A few people laughed nervously, and some looked awestruck. Many children from wizarding families had heard of Neville Longbottom. He had been a vital member of the self proclaimed Dumbledore's Army many years ago at the start of Lord Voldemort's second ascent to power.

They followed Professor Longbottom into the Entrance Hall. Liza gasped at the splendor of the castle: a beautiful, sweeping staircase; four huge hourglasses filled with citrines, emeralds, rubies and sapphires; a Great Hall to the right that chatter of excited students was spilling out of.

They did not stop here, however, but they continued on into a small antechamber with no windows, and only the one door. "I'll be back shortly to take you to be sorted," Deputy Headmaster Neville Longbottom informed the nervous first year students.

They barely acknowledged him as he left the room in a swish of dark blue robes. There was silence for a long moment before Albus turned to Rose and Liza heard him whisper, "You'll be my friend if I get put in Slytherin, right?"

Rose's eyes widened, "If you get put in Slytherin, I'll get put in Slytherin," she sounded terrified at the thought, and Liza wondered vaguely if she should _want_ to be in Slytherin… she knew her mother would be so pleased, as Slytherin had been Daphne's house! But what did _she_ want?

"No, you won't get put in Slytherin," Albus whispered urgently as the conversation continued, "But promise me, that we'll still be friends. I'll try really hard not to be evil."

"Evil?" a voice cut across the hushed conversations that were being held in the room.

"Slytherins are not evil!" Scorpius said defiantly from beside Jairo. "My dad was a Slytherin, and he wasn't evil. He was part of the war that brought down Lord Voldemort!" There was a hushed murmur in response to this declaration.

Liza noticed that Albus looked surprised. He whispered to Rose, "His dad obviously never told him what side of the war he was on." They laughed out loud, but Liza frowned. "My mum was in Slytherin, and my brother is too" she said quietly to Albus. He looked abashed, and instead turned back to Rose. Liza turned instead to Kevin.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" she asked, forgetting momentarily that he came from a Muggle family.

"Er… well… I hope not Slytherin, because Albus thinks its evil…" he was very hesitant. "Perhaps Gryffindor sounds like a good house though."

"Oh it's the best!" Rose said enthusiastically, joining the conversation, "My dad said that the greatest wizards were from Gryffindor," she lowered her voice as she spoke the next sentence aloud,

"Dumbledore himself was a Gryffindor."

People began loudly swapping reasons as to why their house of choice was the best one.

They didn't get very far into there discussion, because before it could get too heated, Professor Longbottom returned. "Are we ready?" he asked. When the group nodded at him, the anxiety returned to their eyes, he gave instructions. "We're going to go into the Great Hall single file, and your name will be called alphabetically by last. Please come forward, and try on the Hat. It will sort you into your house."

There was a sigh of relief from many of the students. All they had to do was put the ragged old hat on their heads, and hope they did not contract head-lice. So, the Sorting began with a long song sung by the Sorting Hat that described each of the four houses that they could potentially be in.

"Ackerley, Maia," read Professor Longbottom from a long scroll. The unusually short girl bustled up towards the Sorting Hat and hoisted herself up on the stool. She gently placed the hat upon her head. After a brief moment, a tear in the brim of the faded hat opened and yelled for the entire hall to hear:

"HUFFLEPUFF!

Liza's name was called. She strode up to the front, trying to look confident and sure of herself. She placed the hat on her head. To her great surprise, it began to talk to her, "A Boot, hey? Your father was a Ravenclaw … hmm… there's quite a bit of talent here… also a strong desire to learn… you think your mother wants you in Slytherin?"

Liza was shocked that the Hat had known what she was afraid of, but then decided maybe she shouldn't be… it was magic after all.

"Don't you worry about that, dearie… you definitely do not belong in Slytherin… but now to decide… I think you _do_ belong in RAVENCLAW!" Liza winced as the hat shouted the last word to the entire hall.

Liza sighed with relief and went to join the Ravenclaw table. She glanced across the hall and found Liam's face in the crowd, with a strange expression on his face. It was as if he couldn't decide if he was pleased or upset that his sister wasn't in his house. She smiled nervously at him, and then settled in to watch the rest of the Sorting.

Liza watched as Professor Longbottom read down the list, feeling much more relaxed now that she was already Sorted. Her stomach rumbled as they passed through the 'D's… the 'G's… the single 'K' – Kirke, Gertrude who was sorted into Gryffindor – and then,

"Lewis, Kevin."

Kevin hurried up towards the Sorting Hat, pushing his glasses higher up on his long, thin nose as he went. He stumbled and flushed a brilliant shade of magenta before jamming the hat as far down onto his head as he could make it go. Less than a second later, the hat screamed "RAVENCLAW!" and the magenta in his cheeks intensified as he rushed over to join Liza at the Ravenclaw table, which was cheering madly for him.

Liza wasn't surprised in the least when her cousin, Scorpius, was sorted into Slytherin. He walked proudly over to the Slytherin table, casting a scathing look at Liza, as if angry at her for being sorted into Ravenclaw.

Liza crossed her fingers under the table when, "Potter, Albus," was called to the hat. There was a great deal of whispering and murmuring at the mention of his name. The Gryffindor table erupted into a cheer when the Hat placed him in their house only moments after it touched Albus' head. He looked immensely pleased with himself, and also vaguely relieved. Liza couldn't help but feel sad that her friend was not in her house.

The dark haired Jairo stepped nervously up to the stool and placed the hat gingerly on his head. After a long moment, during which some people in the hall started to mutter in the silence, the hat placed him into Slytherin. She caught his eye as he sat down beside Scorpius and smiled.

Finally, the sorting concluded with, "Weasley, Rose," who was placed in Gryffindor. Headmistress Minerva McGonagall stood up to make her start of term speech. The hall listened attentively as she reminded everyone that the Forbidden Forest was strictly out of bounds, and that elderly caretaker Filch had banned all items from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes from the school grounds.

Liza was pleasantly surprised when food finally appeared on the table. Kevin looked positively dumbfounded and was peering under the tablecloth to see where the food had come from. An older student chuckled at this display of curiosity.

"Don't worry," she said, turning towards Kevin and Liza, revealing a shiny silver badge emblazoned with a 'P' on her chest, "lots of people do that their first night here. I'm Ashley Davies by the way. I'm a prefect, so if you ever need any help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Liza Boot," Liza felt as if she was doing an awful lot of this introduction business today and was getting rather tired of it. Rather than say anything else, she spooned deliciously creamy mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"I'm Kevin Lewis," Kevin said excitedly, his food forgotten on his plate, "I just love it here already, I can't wait for classes to start, it's going to be fantastic! What's a prefect?"

Ashley looked a bit taken aback by the amount he managed to spew from his O shaped mouth in one breath. She did answer his question after a moment though, "A prefect is an older student that is in a leadership position in the school. We have permission to take points from our house and confiscate things. We're sort of like Flitwick's extra eyes and ears so to speak."

Kevin nodded solemnly, and seemed to remember the food on his plate. He dove back into the roast; all talk, for once, forgotten as he enjoyed a wonderful meal with his new friends.


End file.
